A database management system of DPWH-inspected public school buildings: A tool for seismic vulnerability classification and prioritization for decision makers (2013)

A database management system of DPWH-inspected public school buildings: A tool for seismic vulnerability classification and prioritization for decision makers (2013)

CAPAROS, Richerene
FAJARDO, Xenia
ILAGAN, Harlene Marie
REVELO, Joemar

Abstract:

-Prolonging the life of important structures such as public school buildings due to earthquake hazards requires regular inspection, maintenance and possible retrofitting. Detailed inspection and retrofitting, however, is costly considering the limited budget. Public school buildings that need detailed inspection and possible retrofitting must be prioritized using a brief seismic diagnosis. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) regularly inspects public school buildings and refers the survey results to the Department of Education for further action. The DPWH adopts the Rapid Visual Screening (RVS) procedure of FEMA154/ATC21, a methodology based on a “sidewalk survey” of a building, where a building is inspected from the exterior in order to quickly determine if the building is probably adequate for the earthquake forces it is likely to experience, or whether there may be reasonable doubts as to the building’s seismic performance. The RVS yields a Basic Structural Hazard Score which may be used to identify, inventory, and rank buildings that are potentially seismically hazardous. Buildings that will be subjected to a more detailed inspection are usually determined based on cutoff value of the RVS score. To further refine the use of RVS specially in prioritizing public school buildings for a more detailed inspection and possible retrofitting, a two-dimensional approach is proposed wherein a dual criteria is used to classify buildings based on the RVS score and second criterion such as non-structural defects, assets’ importance, population or seismic hazards. The inspection survey results on school buildings obtained from the Department of Public Works in Manila were stored in a database to implement the 2D-seismic vulnerability classification and ranking. Based on the preference of a decision maker, the second criterion can be selected and a classification and ranking of the school buildings for a given area (district or city) will be automatically displayed with a GIS map. Through this approach, decision makers can be guided in prioritizing buildings and identifying buildings that require immediate attention for detailed investigation and possible retrofitting.

Adviser:

Dr. Andres Winston C. Oreta.